Courier Friends to Follow

New postal closures won’t affect Liberty Co.

The United States Postal Service announced on Tuesday that it will analyze more than 3,600 branches, offices and stations for possible closures — but none of Liberty County’s locations are on the list.

That means the area’s remaining branches in Hinesville, Midway and Walthourville are safe for now, according to Michael Miles, a spokesman for the postal service.

In November, the Fleming Post Office suspended its operations due to “months of vandalism,” low foot traffic, less than two hours of work per day and average daily sales below $50, postal service spokesman Stephen Seewoester said.

Customers who receive mail from the rural letter carrier continue to use Fleming in their addresses, but customer services and post office boxes were relocated to Richmond Hill, he said.

The only location on the list with a 313 zip code prefix is the Meridian Post Office in McIntosh County, Miles said.

As the Associated Press reported earlier this week, most of the offices under review are in rural areas.

Officials are considering alternatives to standalone offices, such as placing postal centers in town halls or community buildings.

“We’re constantly evaluating process like any good business does,” Miles said. “So the list (under review) you have six months from now could be different from the list today.”

The decision to close offices comes from officials in Washington, D.C., he said.

Ten years ago, the post office had more than 38,000 outlets. But factors like the recession and changes to shipping habits — with more people using online services — has caused a reduction to 31,000 facilities.